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Outrageous Fortune
by
Tim Scott
In this outrageously funny, outrageously inventive debut, one of the most outrageously talented new writers to break onto the sci-fi scene in decades asks the most loaded question of all…
"Don't you hate it when this happens?"
…that’s what the business card asks Jonny X67, dream architect to the rich and jaded. It’s all the thieves who stole his house left behind. And if tha ...more
"Don't you hate it when this happens?"
…that’s what the business card asks Jonny X67, dream architect to the rich and jaded. It’s all the thieves who stole his house left behind. And if tha ...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Bantam Books
(first published January 1st 2007)
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I have a new source of internal cerebral itching, and its name is Outrageous Fortune by Tim Scott.
The chief problem is that this guy is trying very hard and very consciously to be the bastard child of Douglas Adams and Nick Hornby. Much too hard, IMHO. And it isn't even funny. It's just self-consciously quirky. Oooh, people live in music zones and the your phone talks back to you and the traffic cops are the strongest force and stuff people in pneumatic tubes! Isn't that crazy, man?! Doesn't th ...more
The chief problem is that this guy is trying very hard and very consciously to be the bastard child of Douglas Adams and Nick Hornby. Much too hard, IMHO. And it isn't even funny. It's just self-consciously quirky. Oooh, people live in music zones and the your phone talks back to you and the traffic cops are the strongest force and stuff people in pneumatic tubes! Isn't that crazy, man?! Doesn't th ...more
There's a sad thing that happens to books like this--they get labeled as being like Pratchett, or Douglas Adams. Then fans of those books show up and read them, and get mad b/c "This guy's no Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett!"
It's kind of unfair to describe a book by comparing it to another writer for this reason, but marketing departments need to sell books and those writers sell, so why not make the comparison?
This was not the funniest book I've read, but it did make me laugh in parts.
The tr ...more
It's kind of unfair to describe a book by comparing it to another writer for this reason, but marketing departments need to sell books and those writers sell, so why not make the comparison?
This was not the funniest book I've read, but it did make me laugh in parts.
The tr ...more
I knew going in that trying a "zany" book from an unknown author was a crap shoot. "Outrageously funny" usually translates into "very mildly funny without much of a plot". Because, ya know, near random events are so much funnier than having a plot.
The first page uses the f-word three times. Not a good sign.
At 10 pages in I was ready to throw it against the wall, but I didn't feel that 10 pages was enough for a fair review.
At 15 pages it was enough.
It was _soooo_ enough that I want to look up the ...more
The first page uses the f-word three times. Not a good sign.
At 10 pages in I was ready to throw it against the wall, but I didn't feel that 10 pages was enough for a fair review.
At 15 pages it was enough.
It was _soooo_ enough that I want to look up the ...more
I had to stop reading this about a quarter of the way through. This book was written like an 8th grader's short story or a poor piece of fan fiction. The writer has plenty of imagination and is clearly excited about his subject, but no ability to execute. Don't get me wrong - I love wacky books, but the writer has to be able to pull it off, and this is no Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams.
One other reviewer here likened it to someone scribbling down a dream that makes little sense, and I agree wi ...more
One other reviewer here likened it to someone scribbling down a dream that makes little sense, and I agree wi ...more
I remember liking this book more than my Library Journal review implies:
Scott's sf debut envisions a future where cities are segregated into neighborhoods based on musical style. Our hero, Jonny, lives in Chillout; however, his adventures are anything but relaxing. Coming home with a hangover after a drunken fight with his girlfriend, he finds his house stolen (that's right, not the contents, but the whole house) and a card left for him saying, "Don't you hate it when this happens?" And down the...more
awesome book. science fiction, but it doesn't really feel like science fiction. there's all kinds of futuristic gizmos and big brother governments and all that, but the book is really... human. the narrator is totally human and you can totally sympathize with him; there's a lot of actual human emotional stuff going on in this book which you can really get into, so it's not like total space alien techno. Also, it's really, really funny. The guy seems to be paying homage to Douglas Adams in some p
...more
I read the back cover and was expecting kind of a zany/light-hearted/humorous adventure, which it was, but I was surprised by the darks turns into moments of existentialism and crises of mortality. This passage in particular punched me right in the gut:
"The shock of the escape had touched a nerve inside of me, maybe because I hadn't been properly awake, but the idea of dying now seemed real and cold and lonely. I had hoped that, in the moment of death, my life would all add up to something that ...more
"The shock of the escape had touched a nerve inside of me, maybe because I hadn't been properly awake, but the idea of dying now seemed real and cold and lonely. I had hoped that, in the moment of death, my life would all add up to something that ...more
I couldn't get much past the first page. There was poor language from the first and I just didn't care to stick with it. Foul language goes in the same category as belching and passing gas and spitting in public, not cool and not fun to be around. There are millions of books out there to read, I'm usually going to choose those that can give me the story using a more clever vocab.
A tale set in a future time in a city where neighborhoods are named according to music types and residents dress and act in accordance to the assigned musical theme. The story begins as Jonny X, a dream architect, goes home only to discover his house is missing. It has been stolen by a gang of thugs who left a calling card with the slogan “Don’t you hate it when this happens?” and a phone number. Moments later he's latched onto by a limpet encyclopedia saleswoman who insists he must buy a set of
...more
I picked up this book because the cover reminded me of the cover of John Scalzi's "Andromeda's Dream". I kept it because Michael Marshall (another favorite author) endorsed it - on the front cover. It's a first novel. The plot is intricate, funny, and self-propelling. Like any thoughtful work it asks important questions without giving any EASY answers in the end. It has a healthy sense of dread like any good horror novel.It has a California love of the laid back life. That life gets interrupted
...more
Jul 25, 2008
Joel Neff
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Gibson fans.
Recommended to Joel by:
The Dragon Page.
Tim Scott's Outrageous Fortune is a quirky adventure set in an almost recognizable tomorrow. The characters are funny and adventurous and the plot is full of action and suspense. In fact, the only real negative for me, were the moments of deep introspection that the lead character indulged in.
Those moments, frankly, felt like something the publisher insisted on fearing that a modern audience with a thirty second attention span may lose the plot. Or perhaps the author just needed to pad his wordc ...more
Those moments, frankly, felt like something the publisher insisted on fearing that a modern audience with a thirty second attention span may lose the plot. Or perhaps the author just needed to pad his wordc ...more
Outrageously Funny! If you like British Humor and Crazy Science Fiction, then you'll love Outrageous Fortune. I would give this book an R rating only for the very strong language--the first word of the book is F***ers! But it is one crazy roller coaster ride. The main character is having a really F***-Up day (forgive my asterisks). He is chased around a Southern California that is divided up into musical genre themed neighborhoods including Christmas Carols, Punk, Easy-listening, White Noise--ju
...more
This is a classic example of why you have to read to the end. I was really close to stopping this book which is unheard of for me. Eventually I got sucked in and it started me thinking (thumbs up). Some good lines but not what I would call uber funny. The humour feels a little bit Douglas Adamsy. Overall not bad. Definitely gets better as you go through.
For the first 330 pages of this book I was completely confused. Usually I am a big fan of weird fiction - House of Leaves, Infinite Jest, Shades of Gray... but there was something about this book that kept me too confused to truly enjoy myself. It felt like a futuristic video game written down on paper.
Only in the last few pages did everything come together, which for me was the only redeeming factor of the book. The ending was really interesting, but I'm not sure it was worth the confusion the ...more
Only in the last few pages did everything come together, which for me was the only redeeming factor of the book. The ending was really interesting, but I'm not sure it was worth the confusion the ...more
I liked Love in the Time of Fridges, or whatever the name of his other book is but this one was a bit too contrived tired
I had to drop the rating down after finishing the book. The ending of this ruins what was a good attempt at a really cool idea for a story. Too bad so much of the story is confusing as hell and the only way it is all explained is in the bad, cheap, over-used ending that they came up with. And the one page sermon at the end that seemed to be the whole reason the book was written in the first place cheapened the ideas even more.
From the explanation of the book on the back and to the small write-u ...more
From the explanation of the book on the back and to the small write-u ...more
Well, based on other reviews, I went back to try and finish it, but still I couldn't. It lacks a certain connection. It is funny, with lots of unexpected pairings and word choices, but slick writing can only carry a stoy so far and without an emotional connection to the characters, I'm afraid the story fails. I was never able to piece all the friends connections together because there wasn't enough depth or detail there. The one little bit of romance, was so far fetched. It is a silly book. But
...more
Poor Douglas Adams wannabe. Dull. Badly written. Not even attempting to be original or clever.
This book is hilarious. From the very start when the Jonny finds his house has been stolen, to the section of the city that is based on Christmas music (complete with taxis that are sleighs). Don't worry if you don't know what is going on - neither does Jonny. Just sit back and enjoy the crazy ride. Oh - and be on the lookout for Shakespeare quotes - they appear in the most unlikely of places. Reading this book won't help you find the answer to the question of "whether 'tis nobler to suffer the
...more
saved for 2016 reading challenge: A science fiction novel
Outrageous Fortune by Tim Scott is a rare blend of action, humor, absurdity, science-fiction and personal insight. You know things are going to be interesting when the first word of Outrageous Fortune is ‘Fuckers’, uttered by main character, Johnny X67. He has every right to be pissed. His house has just been stolen. But that’s not even in the Top 10 of strange things that Johnny encounters in this non-stop adventure.
Read my full review on the Used Books Blog:
http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/outrag ...more
Read my full review on the Used Books Blog:
http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/outrag ...more
May 26, 2014
Megan
added it
Eh.
Such a fun book! I laughed out loud several times while reading it. The book reminded me of something that Douglas Adams might have written after spending an evening drinking and brainstorming with Neal Stephenson. The plot is an crazy sequence of increasingly over the top events and just when i was sure there was no way to end it satisfactorily, Scott pulled it all together neatly. I am going to need to check out his 2nd novel (Love in the Time of Fridges) soon.
It was definitely an interesting take on the world. It kept me interested in it enough throughout the two weeks of meal-only reading that it took me to finish it, but I wasn't interested enough to keep reading it outside of my mealtimes. I was just as baffled throughout the entire book as the main character was, and the ending/what caused the craziness seemed a little out of left field.
I think that I enjoyed this book mostly because I really had no idea what was going on until the end. Also I really enjoy what I call "absurdist" humor where the situation or conversation is so absurd that it is hilarious. The only criticism that I have for this book is that it supposedly takes place in California, but do to the dialogue and overall feel it should be based in England.
the grammar was horrendous, bordering on abuse, and the story was scattered and undeveloped.
I couldn't get past page 20.
that being said, if the author could get his thoughts together and take a class on the English language, he might have something here....at the very least, something better than this.
*the editor of this book should be fired. immediately.
I couldn't get past page 20.
that being said, if the author could get his thoughts together and take a class on the English language, he might have something here....at the very least, something better than this.
*the editor of this book should be fired. immediately.
Joke telling elevators and areas of the city broken up into musical genre. The Record Companies running the government and kidnapping encyclopedia salesmen.
What's not to love?
I didn't see the end coming. And I didn't like how it was very British but set in California. I also found it easy to put down and it took me ages to finish.
Overall, I liked.
What's not to love?
I didn't see the end coming. And I didn't like how it was very British but set in California. I also found it easy to put down and it took me ages to finish.
Overall, I liked.
I was out of books to read and so was just browsing through the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section and came across this book. It sounded interesting and I was not disappointed. The humor is very much like Jasper Fforde or Douglas Adams and the story reminded me of Good Omens. The premise behind the story was amazing and definitely not something that I guessed.
I seldom/rarely read science fiction and picked this book up out of curiosity. It was a delight, full of quirkiness. The world is run by record companies--really! Scott's writing is slyly, low-key wit, e.g., "I didn't want to blunder into his office like a bull in a china shop---or indeed, like any kind of dairy animal visiting any sort of consumer outlet."
Imaginative, similar to Adams/Pratchett on the one hand, and Neal Stephenson on the other... but I wouldn't describe it as "well written." Still engaging though.
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